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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · pitch · hide · fork · bound · fan · fall · race

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. race — a contest
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. race — humankind
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. snap — to click
  18. fall — the season
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bound — certain
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com